News &amp; Features - December 2009

Eight-year-old Hunter Horsley dons a festive elf hat as he leads a horse named Sally around the parking lot at Safeway, 860 N. Cleveland Ave. where members of the No Tenderfoots Trail Riders prepared to ride on horseback through downtown Loveland singing Christmas carols on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009.

Members of No Tenderfoots Trail Riders ride on horseback along Adams Ave. in downtown Loveland on Saturday while singing Christmas carols.

Competitors in the Valley 5000 run/walk race down 4th Street during the beginning of the race on Friday, August 15, 2008.

Cindie Mearsha, right, smiles as her friend Marlene Graff greets her after finishing the 5K Loveland Classic at Centerra on Saturday. The run marked Mearsha's hundreth race since 2002, and she met her goal of participating in 100 races before the age of 60, "I turned 58 in June!" she proclaimed with a smile. Sat, July 18, 2009.

Tom Raabe poses Tuesday in the Communications Center at the Loveland Police Department where he recently retired as the director of communications for the city.

Larimer County Commissioner Kathay Rennels talks with fellow commissioners Tom Donnelly, left, and Steve Johnson during her last meeting as commissioner on Tuesday. She resigned to take another position at Colorado State University.

The table is set at Starr Blanchard's home on Christmas Eve.

Starr Blanchard, right, and her daughter Kellie Mansfield, 14, work in the kitchen while preparing a holiday meal on Christmas Eve. Blanchard moved into the home in 2000 with her five children and the help of Habitat for Humanity. "I can't thank Habitat enough," said Blanchard. "Our home has been a source of stability."

Museum Director Tom Vaughan will put in his last day at the Little Thompson Valley Pioneer Museum on Saturday. After 11 years, his position has succumbed to budget cuts and the Berthoud Historical Society will hire a new director under their pay structure. Vaughan, a Fort Collins resident, will work on personal writing projects that have been shelved and continue his work with abstract pinhole photography.

Pat Blomquist, right, and Suzanne Stratford walk Sunday at Devil's Backbone Open Space with Stratford's dog Lucy. Blomquist remembers accessing the park from a different trailhead farther west on US 34. Within the last decade the new trailhead was built that offer restroom facilities for those about to embark on a quick, inside-the-park loop, and those heading farther north to connect with the Blue Sky Trail that ends at Horsetooth Reservoir.

Hikers walk along the Wild Loop trail on Sunday at Devil's Backbone Open Space.

Timothy Grove, 7, of Loveland takes a break from ice fishing with his dad, Bob Grove, and grandfather, Mike Grove, to make a snow angel under a cloudless sky on Lake Loveland. Ice measured at least eight inches in a hole near the area they were fishing.

Brent Newbanks, left, and Jim Betrus of the Loveland Police Department work the Colorado Eagles hockey game at the Budweiser Events Center on Sunday night. Loveland has grown in the last decade and the Loveland Police Department has had to include The Ranch where the Eagles play and Centerra in their patrols.

Jacob Fellure, right, and his wife Nicole sit with their daughter Zuri, 10 months, during an interview in their Loveland home. The couple spent a recent vacation in Las Vegas running a marathon and competing on a game show.

Nicole and Jacob Fellure won medals for running a marathon in Las Vegas earlier this month.

Matt Buffone of Stratford, Conn., rehydrates after he and Jason Ratajczak of Greeley, not in photo, and Isaac Romero of Greeley, left, come off the ice of Lake Loveland on Sunday evening.

Loveland resident Guy Keith skis across the snow-covered ground at Centennial Park on Saturday afternoon. Keith said he wanted to get outside for a little exercise and had considered going snowshoeing, but there wasn't quite enough snow.

Loveland resident Guy Keith skis across the snow-covered ground at Centennial Park on Saturday afternoon. Keith said he wanted to get outside for a little exercise and had considered going snowshoeing, but there wasn't quite enough snow.

Kristen Ellis of Loveland hugs Miranda Marston, 14, of Coronado, Calif., during a meeting at the Chilson Recreation Center where the lives of the two first intersected on Dec. 27, 2000, when Ellis helped rescue Marston when she was drowning in the pool. Now, a decade past, Ellis works as a writer/photographer at the Poudre School District and Marston is now going out for the diving team at Coronodo High School.

Two dogs from Pat Kennedy's sculpture "Molly, Deeter and Susie" are covered in snow and ice Friday at Cleveland Avenue and Fifth Street in downtown Loveland.

A scale model called a maquette represents the sculpture Loveland-based Team USA plans to build during a competition in Breckenridge in January.

Loveland residents who are members of a snow sculpting team pose recently with some tools of the trade and models of the sculpture they plan to build during a competition in January in Breckenridge. From left are Steve Mercia, Garett Dreiling, Randy Amys, Jack Kreutzer and Randy Shorman.

Volunteer Stephanie Effinger, right, hands a piece of pumpkin pie to 5-year-old Christine Doman who was getting desert with her mother, Juliann, and sister, Josie, 7, after having Christmas dinner at the Loveland Associated Veterans Club.

Members of the Doman family from Berthoud enjoy a meal during a free Christmas dinner Friday at the Associated Veterans Club in downtown Loveland. From left are Berrett, Taylor, 13, Josie, 7, and Jacob, 9. This was the second year the Christmas day dinner was held at the Veterans Club.

Shadows from a crowd fall on a Live Nativity during in a snow storm on Wednesday night at Summitview Community Church.

MIDEAST ISRAEL PALESTINIANS CHRISTMAS

Christian pilgrims light candles inside the Church of Nativity, believed by many to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the biblical West Bank town of Bethlehem, Tuesday Dec. 22, 2009. Israeli Tourism Minister Stas Mesezhnikov said he is expecting about 70,000 tourists to head to the town of Jesus' birthplace for Christmas. Israeli and Palestinian officials have worked closely in recent years to coordinate the movement of pilgrims. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)

Youngsters take part in a play during the Christmas for Kids event on Saturday at Abiding Love Lutheran Church, 2825 E. First St.

Braden Turner, 4, back left, and Levi Scheck, 4, wear their costumes as they play games with other youngsters while waiting to perform as sheep in a Christmas play Saturday at Abiding Love Lutheran Church, 2825 E. First St. during the Christmas for Kids event.

Shepherd Josh Egle, 13, tends to his flock before a live nativity at First United Methodist Church.

Caroline Foster, 13, grinds cardamom during the A Night in Bethlehem event at First United Methodist Church.

First United Methodist churchmember Trevin Waechter, 11, hammers away at the carpentry booth during the A Night at Bethlehem event.

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Berthoud resident Brian Heaton flies off a ramp as Jim Nix looks on while snow skateboarding together Friday at North Lake Park in Loveland. They said they like to build ramps and rails and then perform tricks off of them.